[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 143 (Tuesday, September 2, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3728-H3731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STOP CHINESE FENTANYL ACT OF 2025
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 747) to impose sanctions with respect to Chinese
producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors, to hold Chinese
officials accountable for the spread of illicit fentanyl, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 747
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Government of the
People's Republic of China should--
(1) work with the United States Government to identify a
list of unregulated chemicals used to create precursor
chemicals that bear increased scrutiny;
(2) require the proper labeling of chemical and equipment
shipments in accordance with international rules;
(3) immediately implement ``know-your-customer'' procedures
for chemical shipments; and
(4) direct all relevant departments and agencies, including
the National Narcotics Control Commission, the Ministry of
Public Security, the General Administration of Customs, and
the National Medical Products Administration of the
Government of the People's Republic of China to establish new
rules to crack down on precursor trafficking and enforce such
rules swiftly.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE FENTANYL SANCTIONS ACT.
(a) Definitions.--Section 7203(5) of the Fentanyl Sanctions
Act (21 U.S.C. 2302(5)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``The term `foreign opioid trafficker'
means any foreign person'' and inserting the following: ``The
term `foreign opioid trafficker'--
``(A) means any foreign person'';
(2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``;
and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) includes--
``(i) any entity of the People's Republic of China that the
President determines--
``(I) produces, manufactures, distributes, sells, or
knowingly finances or transports any goods described in
clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (8)(A); and
``(II) fails to take credible steps, including through
implementation of appropriate know-your-customer procedures
or through cooperation with United States counternarcotics
efforts, to detect or prevent opioid trafficking; and
``(ii) any senior official of the Government of the
People's Republic of China or other Chinese political
official that--
``(I) has significant regulatory or law enforcement
responsibilities with respect to the activities of an entity
described in clause (i); and
``(II) aids and abets, including through intentional
inaction, opioid trafficking.''.
(b) Identification of Foreign Opioid Traffickers.--Section
7211 of the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (21 U.S.C. 2311) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by adding at the end before
the semicolon the following: ``, including whether the heads
of the National Narcotics Control Commission, the Ministry of
Public Security, the General Administration of Customs, and
the National Medical Products Administration of the
Government of the People's Republic of China are foreign
opioid traffickers''; and
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ``5 years'' and
inserting ``10 years''.
SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY ECONOMIC
POWERS ACT AND THE TRADING WITH THE ENEMY ACT.
(a) Periodic Evaluation.--Section 203 of the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(d) Periodic Evaluation.--
``(1) In general.--If the authority granted to the
President under this section is exercised with respect to a
covered national emergency, the President shall transmit to
the appropriate congressional committees, not less frequently
than annually, a periodic evaluation in writing that--
``(A) assesses the effectiveness of the exercise of such
authority in resolving the covered national emergency;
[[Page H3729]]
``(B) considers the views of public- and private-sector
stakeholders; and
``(C) discusses any potential changes to the exercise of
the authority for the purpose of more effectively resolving
the covered national emergency.
``(2) Definitions.--In this subsection--
``(A) the term `appropriate congressional committees'
means--
``(i) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Financial Services, and the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform of the House of Representatives; and
``(ii) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the
Senate; and
``(B) the term `covered national emergency' means a
national emergency that--
``(i) the President has declared, within the preceding 5-
year period, with respect to any national emergency regarding
international drug trafficking; and
``(ii) has not terminated.''.
(b) Consultation and Reports.--Section 204 of the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1703)
is amended--
(1) by striking ``the Congress'' each place it appears and
inserting ``the appropriate congressional committees''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In
this section, the term `appropriate congressional committees'
has the meaning given that term in section 203(d)(2).''.
(3) Authority to issue regulations.--Section 205 of the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1704)
is amended--
(A) by striking ``The President'' and inserting ``(a) The
President''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) In issuing regulations under subsection (a) pursuant
to a covered national emergency (as defined in section 203),
the President shall--
``(1) consider the costs and benefits of available
statutory and regulatory alternatives;
``(2) evaluate the costs and benefits for the purpose of
expeditiously resolving the applicable national emergency;
``(3) establish criteria for the eventual termination of
the applicable national emergency; and
``(4) include in the basis and purpose incorporated in the
regulations--
``(A) an explanation of how the regulations will resolve
the applicable national emergency; and
``(B) a discussion of the costs and benefits.''.
SEC. 5. EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF GOODS.
(a) In General.--The authorities and requirements to impose
sanctions in this Act shall not include the authority or a
requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods.
(b) Good Defined.--In this section, the term ``good'' means
any article, natural or manmade substance, material, supply
or manufactured product, including inspection and test
equipment, and excluding technical data.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) and the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Meeks) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
General Leave
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Representative Barr's Stop
Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025.
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.
It is killing over 70,000 Americans a year, and it is flooding into our
communities with deadly force.
We know where it is coming from. The vast majority of illegal
fentanyl in the U.S. originates in China. Chinese labs manufacture the
chemicals. Chinese traffickers supply the cartels, and American
families pay the price in lives lost.
This bill holds the Chinese Communist Party accountable. It gives our
government stronger tools to sanction Chinese entities involved in the
fentanyl trade and puts pressure on the CCP to shut down the labs that
fuel this crisis.
It is time to treat this for what it is: a national security threat.
The Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act sends a clear message: The United
States will not sit back while foreign actors profit from American
pain.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, August 29, 2025.
Hon. Brian Mast,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Mast: I write regarding H.R. 747, the Stop
Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025. Provisions of this bill fall
within the Judiciary Committee's Rule X jurisdiction, and I
appreciate that you consulted with us on those provisions.
The Judiciary Committee agrees that it shall be discharged
from further consideration of the bill so that it may proceed
expeditiously to the House floor.
The Committee takes this action with the understanding that
forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in
any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any
future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their
subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment
of an appropriate number of conferees in the event of a
conference with the Senate involving this measure or similar
legislation.
I ask that you please insert this letter in the
Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 747 on the
House floor. I appreciate the cooperative manner in which our
committees have worked on this matter, and I look forward to
working collaboratively in the future on matters of shared
jurisdiction. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Jim Jordan,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, September 2, 2025.
Hon. Jim Jordan,
Chairman, Committee on Judiciary,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Jordan: Thank you for consulting with the
Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from
further consideration of H.R. 747, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl
Act, so that the measure may proceed expeditiously to the
House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure
does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of
your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives
on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I
further note your identification of language regarding export
matters that may require further modification prior to final
consideration of this legislation. I would support your
effort to seek appointment of an appropriate number of
conferees from your committee to any House-Senate conference
on this legislation.
I will seek to place our letters on this bill into the
Congressional Record during floor consideration. I appreciate
your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward
to continuing to work together as this measure moves through
the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Brian Mast,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
Washington, DC, August 28, 2025.
Hon. Brian Mast,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Mast: I write regarding H.R. 747, the ``Stop
Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025,'' which contains legislative
provisions within the jurisdiction of the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform.
In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed
expeditiously to floor consideration, the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform will forgo formal
consideration of the legislation. I do so with the
understanding that the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over
the subject matters contained in the bill that fall within
its jurisdiction. I also request that you urge the Speaker to
name members of the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform to any conference committee that is named to consider
such provisions.
Please place this letter into the committee report on H.R.
747 and into the Congressional Record during consideration of
this legislation on the House floor.
Sincerely,
James Comer,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, September 2, 2025.
Hon. James Comer,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Comer: Thank you for consulting with the
Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from
further consideration of H.R. 747, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl
Act, so that the measure may proceed expeditiously to the
House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure
does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of
your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives
on this measure or similar legislation
[[Page H3730]]
in the future. I further note your identification of language
regarding export matters that may require further
modification prior to final consideration of this
legislation. I would support your effort to seek appointment
of an appropriate number of conferees from your committee to
any House-Senate conference on this legislation.
I will seek to place our letters on this bill into the
Congressional Record during floor consideration. I appreciate
your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward
to continuing to work together as this measure moves through
the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Brian Mast,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Financial Services,
Washington, DC, June 13, 2025.
Hon. Brian Mast,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Dear Chairman Mast: This letter is in regard to the
jurisdictional interest of the House Financial Services
Committee in matters within H.R. 747, the Stop Chinese
Fentanyl Act of 2025.
In recognition of the desire to expedite consideration of
H.R. 747, the House Financial Services Committee agrees to
waive formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that
fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee. The
Committee takes this action with the mutual understanding
that we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter
contained in this or similar legislation, and that the
Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as
this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may
address any remaining issues within our jurisdiction.
The Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment
of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate
conference involving this or similar legislation, and
requests your support for such request.
Finally, I respectfully request a response to this letter
confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 747, as
amended. and ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on
this matter be included in the Congressional Record during
floor consideration thereof.
Sincerely,
French Hill,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, September 2, 2025.
Hon. French Hill,
Chairman, Committee on Financial Services,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Hill: Thank you for consulting with the
Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from
further consideration of H.R. 747, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl
Act, so that the measure may proceed expeditiously to the
House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure
does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of
your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives
on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I
further note your identification of language regarding export
matters that may require further modification prior to final
consideration of this legislation. I would support your
effort to seek appointment of an appropriate number of
conferees from your committee to any House-Senate conference
on this legislation.
I will seek to place our letters on this bill into the
Congressional Record during floor consideration. I appreciate
your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward
to continuing to work together as this measure moves through
the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Brian Mast,
Chairman.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 747, as amended.
The opioid crisis has claimed too many lives. We have seen some real
progress the last few years in part because of domestic and
international policies put in place by President Biden, including
getting President Xi to do more to stop fentanyl precursors from
reaching our shores. Of course, the issue is far from solved.
This bill will strengthen sanctions on major Chinese producers of
fentanyl and those who aid and abet opioid traffickers. If you are
knowingly sending deadly chemicals to American citizens, you absolutely
must be sanctioned, and I would encourage President Trump and Secretary
Bessent to focus more on this issue.
That said, we cannot sanction our way out of the fentanyl crisis.
Sanctions are an important tool, but cooperation is essential. If we
want countries to limit the fentanyl precursor exports and prevent
these substances from entering our communities, we need the active
partnership of law enforcement in nations like China and Mexico.
This is just a simple fact. Tough talk has its place, but effective
diplomacy and law enforcement cooperation are indispensable.
Let me be clear. Use of military force is not a viable solution.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Representative Barr, for his advocacy
on this important issue. Congress works on behalf of the American
people best when we work together, and Mr. Barr and I worked together
on several issues in this Congress. Both sides worked in good faith to
get this bill done last Congress and again here today.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Barr), the sponsor of this fine piece of legislation.
Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Washington State and
Chairman Mast for supporting the legislation. I thank my friend, the
ranking member, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), for his
bipartisan support, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 747, the
Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act.
The fentanyl crisis is one of the most significant threats to our
country and continues to plague families and neighbors across the
United States.
My home State of Kentucky, sadly, has been ravaged by the fentanyl
crisis.
Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18
to 45, and fentanyl is responsible for nearly 70 percent of these
deaths.
Last year, the DEA seized more than 60 million fentanyl-laced fake
pills in the United States and almost 8,000 pounds of fentanyl power
equal to more than 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
As of last month, the 2025 seizures of fentanyl equate to over 232
million deadly doses and 70,000 of our fellow Americans succumbed to
this poison. In 2024, over 1,400 Kentuckians lost their lives to a drug
overdose, including fentanyl.
{time} 1630
Unfortunately, this scourge has spread with the help of our greatest
strategic adversary, the People's Republic of China and the Chinese
Communist Party.
As a member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition
Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, we conducted
an investigation, and that investigation in the last Congress
established that the PRC Government, under the control of the Chinese
Communist Party, directly subsidizes the manufacturing and export of
illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics through tax
rebates.
Many of these substances are illegal under the PRC's own laws and
have no known legal use worldwide. Like its export tax rebates for
legitimate goods, the CCP's subsidies of illegal drugs incentivize
international synthetic drug sales from the People's Republic of China,
and the CCP never disclosed this program.
In addition, the select committee found that the CCP gave monetary
grants and awards to companies openly trafficking illicit fentanyl
materials and other synthetic narcotics. There are even examples of
some of these companies enjoying site visits from provincial PRC
Government officials, who complimented them for their impact on the
provincial economy.
The CCP holds an ownership interest in several PRC companies tied to
drug trafficking, including a PRC Government prison connected to human
rights abuses, owning a drug trafficking chemical company, and a
publicly traded PRC company hosting thousands of instances of open drug
trafficking on its sites.
The PRC failed to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers.
Rather than investigating drug traffickers, the Government of the PRC
security services have not cooperated with U.S. law enforcement and
have even notified targets of U.S. investigations when they receive
requests for assistance.
The PRC allows for the open sale of fentanyl precursors and other
illicit materials on the extensively monitored and controlled PRC
internet. A review of just seven e-commerce sites found over 31,000
instances of PRC companies selling illicit chemicals with obvious ties
to drug trafficking. Undercover communications with PRC drug
trafficking companies revealed an eagerness to engage in clearly
illicit drug
[[Page H3731]]
sales with no fear of reprisal. The government in China censors content
about domestic drug sales, but leaves export-focused narcotic content
untouched.
We know that China has historically been and remains the primary
source of fentanyl in global circulation through the production of
these precursor chemicals and outsourcing the final production to
cartel labs in Mexico. That is why it is paramount that Congress pass
my legislation that is being considered here today, the Stop Chinese
Fentanyl Act.
My bill amends the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to expand the definition of
``foreign opioid trafficker'' to include certain Chinese entities and
government officials that fail to take steps to prevent opioid
trafficking, subjecting them to sanctions. The bill also requires the
President to determine whether the heads of the National Narcotics
Control Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the General
Administration of Customs, and the National Medical Products
Administration of the Government of the PRC are foreign opioid
traffickers.
We must attack the production of fentanyl by targeting the source of
precursors in China.
Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors and
senior government and Chinese political officials' culpability does not
end when their precursor products land in Mexico or illegally cross our
southern border. We must look at every step of fentanyl's deadly supply
chain and hold our adversaries accountable.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the
purpose of closing.
As I have indicated, I support this bill because sanctions have a
role in curbing the opioid crisis, but they are only a sliver of the
solution.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025
is not just about policy. It is about saving American lives. We must
hold China accountable for its role in this deadly epidemic. Congress
must take a stand against the poison devastating our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 747, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________